Using Awards Lists As a RA Tool: National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Edition

This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.

Each year one of my favorite lists is the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 list. It's not that I think you have to be young to be a great writer, but I love how writers who have won National Book Awards and even some who have have this honor get to pick the new class each year. 

More about the honor and its mission here. From that page:

In 2006, the National Book Foundation established the 5 Under 35 prize to recognize outstanding debut fiction writers under the age of 35. 5 Under 35 has identified some of the most celebrated young writers working today. Previous honorees include Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Brit Bennett, Akwaeke Emezi, Angela Flournoy, Phil Klay, Valeria Luiselli, C.E. Morgan, Téa Obreht, ZZ Packer, Karen Russell, Justin Torres, Bryan Washington, Claire Vaye Watkins, Tiphanie Yanique, and Charles Yu. 

5 Under 35 honorees are selected by authors who have been recognized by either the National Book Awards or 5 Under 35 itself. To be eligible for the prize, writers must have published their first and only book of fiction—either a story collection or a novel—within the last five years. Honorees are chosen at the discretion of the selectors; as such, publishers cannot nominate an honoree or submit a book for consideration.

This year’s honorees are Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, author of Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare (Bloomsbury); Anika Jade Levy, author of Flat Earth (Catapult); Carrie R. Moore, author of Make Your Way Home (Tin House); Maggie Su, author of Blob: A Love Story (Harper); and Stephanie Wambugu, author of Lonely Crowds (Little, Brown).

Links for the titles line up with the links provided on the landing page. 

I love this list for its RA Service implications and for what you can learn and use from the backlist. Below I explain why you should like and use this list all year long too.

First, this list is awesome. It is not just the young authors who are being highlighted, the established authors who selected each of them are also a great resource. You get 10 suggested authors from this 5 person list. 

Which leads to second, the established authors are your conversation starter and readalike stepping stone. So when you see: 

2026 5 Under 25 nominee Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su nominated by Charles Yu, the author of four books, including Interior Chinatown, winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. In 2007, he was selected to be a 5 Under 35 Honoree by Richard Powers. 

You are literally seeing how this award works. Yu was selected by Richard Powers, he went on to sin the National Book Award, and now he is in turn picking a new author to keep the cycle going. Proven authors suggesting new authors.

Now you can confidently suggest Maggie Su's Blob to fans of Charles Yu and Richard Powers. This fits in with one of my "5 Resources You Cannot Live Without" from my 10 Rules of Basic RA page-- Author Recs of Other Authors. Click here for a longer post where I explain why authors recommending other authors is a near perfect readalike option. 

Third, the backlist is amazing. Seriously. Even more amazing than backlists usually are, and many of you know how excited I get about the backlist in general. As you can see from just the point above this one, I got 2 backlist authors from one current nominee. But wait, there's more.

From the landing page for this year's winners, you can easy go backward, year by year, with a drop down menu. I scanned many of the lists and WOW, did they identify some amazing authors who are household names now.  Yes, there are a few who haven't broke through, but it is amazing how many have. You can easily use the backlist list of winners to help readers identify good under the radar reads, especially for your literary fiction and book club selection readers. You can also make a display of current and past winners.

I know some people will say, Becky these authors are emerging and at my library I can barely afford to get the established authors. But it would be a mistake to ignore these "emerging voices" for many reasons-- 3 of which I gave you here. 

Don't sleep on new voices. They will have wide appeal on their own AND you can use establish  authors to match them with readers through displays, verbal suggestions, or even by pairing them as the website does. 

Today's new voices are our future best sellers. And some of these authors, like Su with her novel, Blob: A Love Story, are already well on their way. 

Welcome to National Library Week and EveryLibrary's New Resource You Have to Checkout

Click this image to enter the National
Library Week landing page

 

Welcome to National Library Week, an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

Click here to to enter the ALA's National Library Week and access the toolkit to celebrate.

Also, click here for the State of America's Libraries 2025 Report.

Now look, I know in libraries we started preparing for National Library Week months in advance, but I am posting here, today, as it begins for a few reasons.

One, be aware that your patrons are getting information about National Library Week from across the media spectrum. Michael Threets and people from the ALA will be on TV, radio, newspapers, and all over their social media feeds. 

Two, know the official messaging by familiarizing yourself with the official page. Know this messaging because you will hear it repeated by the people who visit. Be familiar with what they are going to be hearing and make sure you are ready to respond.

Three, there will be new people interacting with the library this week. People who are not library users will become our audience. Please remember that many people are sure how today's library works. They might be surprised by how vibrant and (quite honestly) loud our spaces are. Make sure you are explaining how things work clearly. Don't use abbreviations and lingo Clearly explain every step. You might think Libby is easy, for example, but to someone who is coming to the library the first time in many years, even if they use things like Kindle and Audible, it is a completely different platform and a completely different mentality with how to use it. Remember, the idea of waiting for items and finding something else while you wait is not something non-library users are used to. 

They also aren't used to the pre-paid nature of library use. And that is point four. Don't tell them your services are free. Library services and materials are all PREPAID. Everyone coming in has already paid for what you are offering. Remind them of that. NEVER tell them it is free because that is NOT true. Every single person in your community has paid for their library whether they use it or not. Applaud them for getting their money's worth. Remind them of the amazing return on investment (ROI), but NEVER, EVER tell them it is free. 

[I have a much longer post about this here.]

So that is why you need to know about National Library Week going into today. 

National Library Week is also a time that other groups announce new initiatives, and EveryLibrary has a really good one. Read. Lead. Run. From the landing page:

Libraries are among the most trusted public institutions in the United States, yet the policies that shape their future are set by elected officials. City councils decide local budgets. School boards determine whether certified school librarians are funded. State legislatures write the laws that protect or restrict intellectual freedom. Congress determines federal investment in literacy, broadband access, and national library programs.

Here’s why this matters: nearly 70% of races in the United States go unopposed. That means too many decisions about libraries are being made without champions like you in the room. When library supporters run for office, we change what’s possible for funding, access, and the future of our communities.

You already believe in libraries. Now it’s time to lead.

When readers and library supporters like you step into leadership roles, they bring the values of access, curiosity, and service to the heart of government, helping shape the future of their communities.

That's why people like you need to run for office today!

EveryLibrary helps public, school, and college libraries win funding at the ballot box, ensuring stable funding and access to libraries for generations to come. We also support grassroots groups across the country defend and support their local library against book banning, illicit political interference, and threats of closure. So it makes sense that their next step is to help Library supports run for Boards.

As someone who ran for my Library Board and was elected 6 times, and as someone who has taken the time to inspire others to run (more than I can count on 1 hand are currently serving), I wholeheartedly support this.

Please visit Read. Lead. Run and think about how you can take the next step to be part of the solution. Democracy requires average people step up and lead. What are you waiting for? Help and advice? Well now you have it. 

Celebrate Nation Library Week for yourself (not just your patrons) by seriously considering how you can take the next step in your support of your local school or public library. Read. Lead. Run.

New Pew Research Report on Reading Habits Is Great, Yes, But Don't Sleep On All of Their Reports

The Pew Research Center is a great resource for information about how American interact with their world on a variety of topics, and their reports are always FREE. From their "About" page:

Pew Research Center is made up of intellectually curious people from across many fields, places and backgrounds. For decades, our expertise, best-in-class methods and commitment to high-quality, fact-based research have made us a trusted resource for leaders and everyday people around the world.  

Our mission

We generate a foundation of facts that enriches public dialogue and supports sound decision-making. We are nonprofit, nonpartisan and nonadvocacy. We value independence, objectivity, accuracy, rigor, humility, transparency and innovation. 

What do we mean by nonprofit? We are funded from charitable dollars. All our resources serve our mission. We do not do any work for hire. 

What do we mean by nonpartisan? We maintain strict impartiality and never align with any political group, candidate or ideology.

What do we mean by nonadvocacy? We study people’s views and behaviors without an agenda. We don’t make policy recommendations or offer solutions. We design our work to explain the public, rather than try to persuade.

Read more about our mission.  

Our research

We study a wide range of topics.

We decide what to study based on questions people are asking, changes happening in the world and gaps where clear information is hard to find. We focus on areas where our expertise, resources and intellectual curiosity can help people better understand the world around them.   

We take our responsibility to inform the public seriously. Every step of our work goes through multiple layers of review to ensure it is high quality and fact based. We share our data and survey questions so that all can see the process and how we arrived at our results.   

Our methods

We ask thousands of people of various ages, ethnicities and backgrounds to share what they think in a survey. We listen to what they say about jobs, politics, religion, education, health and more. We bring those voices together and summarize everything we hear. Before we publish anything, our work goes through several rounds of careful review to make sure it upholds our commitment to high-quality, fact-based research.    

Read more about our methods. 

Click through to read the entire page.

They have frequently turned their inquiries to topics surrounding books and reading, and this month they released one of those reports entitled, "Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions; few are in book clubs" at this link.

Please click through and read the entire report because there is A LOT you can learn here, and quite honestly, only you know which parts speak to your local experience, but a few highlights include:

• Print continues to be the only book format used by a majority of Americans.Roughly two-thirds of adults say they have read a physical book in the past 12 months, according to our October survey.
• Much smaller shares say they have read an e-book or listened to an audiobook in the past year.
• While most Americans have read at least one book in the past year, how many they read varies widely. As of October 2025:
• 38% of U.S. adults say they read one to five books in the past year
• 13% read six to 10
• 10% read 11 to 20
• 14% read more than 20
• And 25% of Americans say they read none.
• [Becky addition here: this is sayin 75% of Americans read 1 book!]

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.

Please click through and especially look at the analysis and methodology which I linked to immediately above this line. It is at the end of the report. 

And finally, don't sleep on the older reports they have done on books and reading. You can access some of them in the right gutter of the report. But also use the menu bar to explore many of their other reports. Remember, we are serving readers and their likes and interests in general are driven by more than their reading habits. Since the Pew Research Center's reports are driven by intellectual curiosity and then focus on human behavior, there is a lot you can learn from many of their reports*

Don't keep your head stuck in a book. We need to be intellectually curious in order to best serve our patrons, to anticipate things they might be interested in by exploring the world outside of books. Go visit the Pew Research Center to stoke that curiosity, find out what Americans in general are thinking about, discover how they act, and then use that knowledge to think about how you are delivering your RA Service in a way that reflects actual behavior.

*This is also why AI cannot do our job. I wrote about this in more detail here.)

PW Summer Reads 2026: An Epic Year Round Resource

The PW Summer Reads 2026 database is now live! Always the first one of the year to pop up, PW's Summer Reads is also one  of the best YEAR ROUND Resources hands down. Why? Well let's start with a screen shot of the main page.

The PW Summer Reads database is more than the sum of its parts, those parts being the wide swath of categories offered. Every genre, nonfiction, and books for kids of all ages, each has their own tab with picks.

As you can see, they also make backlist access of every Summer Reads and year end Best Books list going back to 2012 easily accessible from the top of the page.

Let that sink in.... EVERY SINGLE SUMMER READS AND PW YEAR END BEST LIST IN ONE PLACE. This is AWESOME!

Nowhere will you find a resource that puts this many "sure bet" options in front of you so easily. There are literally hundreds of titles here, at your fingertips, both old and new, that you can confidently suggest to readers immediately. And so many readers. Readers who read across all age levels [down to infants] and in just about every genre. 

And, since every title is annotated, you also have a book talk [or annotation] for each title right there. You don't have to have read the book to suggest it. [Reminder: Use the Words of Others.]

I could keep gushing about how much I love this resource but I would rather you played around with it yourself.

Click through, check out the upcoming titles, but also look back at older titles, read the annotations, check genres you love and those you don't normally read, especially those you don't normally read because you will learn much about the current state of that genre [trends, popular authors] this year and by going back a few years. You can literally watch trends as they happened. You can both get access to some great sure bet suggestions AND brush up on your genre knowledge all in one place.

Spend some time really getting to know this resource. And then use it-- all of it-- including past years and both summer and year end lists-- to make your own lists for your readers. Make displays and lists [online and in the building], make suggested reading lists by genre, by year, by whatever you want. Just embrace the wealth of information available to you with one click and help readers in ways they would not think to help themselves.

Proof reading this post before publishing it, I realize how many times I am repeating myself about using the entirety of the information that PW is making available here, but I also know from years of suggesting this resource to people that you don't always listen to me. And so, I will keep beating this drum of using best lists all year long and especially checking the backlist until I run out of breath [or strength to type].

Go check out this database of "sure bet" reads for any season, and keep it bookmarked for use anytime you need a solid suggestion [especially for those hard to satisfy readers].

It is NOT just for Summer.

LibraryReads: May 2026

      

 It's LibraryReads day and that means four things here on RA for All

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. 

And finally, here is LibraryReads' extremely helpful Resources page.

Now let's get to the May 2026 list.... 

McAllister, Gillian    

Caller Unknown        

William Morrow    

Simone comes to Texas from the UK to visit her daughter, Lucy. Lucy is kidnapped, and the perpetrators force Simone into trafficking drugs into Mexico for Lucy’s safe return. When a confrontation goes wrong, Lucy and Simone are reunited, but are suddenly on the run from the law. The story is breathtaking, and readers will constantly be on edge, wondering if and when the pair will be caught—and what the consequences will be. 

--Cari Dubiel, Twinsburg Public Library, OH

NoveList read-alike: Mother, May I by Joshilyn Jackson

Now the rest of the list...

Bannister, Ilona    

Five: A Novel    

Crown    

Five strangers meet at a train station, but only four will leave alive. Readers are challenged to predict the victim from among a cast of flawed, unlikable characters whose backstories are unexpectedly gripping. This thought-provoking thriller is an ideal book club pick that will spark a different debate for every reader.

--Marika Zemke, Commerce Twp Community Library, MI 

NoveList read-alike: 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon

Cassidy, Nat    

 I Know A Place        

Shortwave Publishing   

Nat Cassidy is one of horror's more unique voices. This short story collection is terrifying and filled with relatable characters. These wild, grim, violent stories unfold as if the author has sidled up to you at a bar and started sharing them. And you simply can't stop listening.

--Lila Denning, St Petersburg Library System, FL 

NoveList read-alike: Midnight Somewhere by Johnny Compton

Damoff, Sarah    

The Burning Side        

Simon & Schuster     

April and Leo’s marriage is already on the brink when a devastating fire levels their home. Forced to retreat to April’s childhood house with their two children, they must navigate generational trauma and deep-seated grief alongside her parents and siblings. Amidst the literal and figurative ashes, the couple struggles to determine if their relationship is worth salvaging.

--Emily Orth, Surprise Public Library, AZ

NoveList read-alike: The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison

Dinniman, Matt   

A Parade of Horribles        

Ace 

Coming in off the back of a fast paced, complex, and scope-changing Book 7, Book 8 reminds readers of the horrible truth of the Dungeon: for all of their drive and cleverness, Carl and Princess Donut are still just a man and his talking cat trapped in an AI-controlled game that is trying to kill them. This interesting shift in scope and pacing reminds readers of the players' predicament.

--Aaron Mason, Radford Public Library, VA       

NoveList read-alike: Delicious in Dungeon series by Ryoko Kui

Holt, Katie    

The Last Page       

Alcove Press     

Ella thinks she’s going to inherit the used bookstore where she has worked for years, but is devastated when a grandson shows up as the new owner. Now they must put aside their rivalry, and their off-the-charts chemistry, to save the store. The characters' clever book reviews at the start of every chapter also serve to carry the plot forward.

--Migdalia Jimenez, Chicago Public Library, IL

NoveList read-alike: Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady

Sepetys, Ruta    

A Fortune of Sand: A Novel   

Ballantine Books  

When Marjorie, the youngest of the Lennox family, covertly applies for and is accepted into an artists’ residency in Detroit run by an appealing but secretive benefactor, she finds both inspiration and compelling secrets. Intriguing family, deeply buried secrets, and cons-within-cons abound in this Prohibition Era Detroit novel, set among the monied families with ties to the growing car industry.

 --Jessica Trotter, Capital Area District Libraries, MI 

NoveList read-alike: Crucible by John Sayles

Stockett, Kathryn   

The Calamity Club       

Spiegel & Grau    

In Depression-era Mississippi, a girl trapped in a Dickensian orphanage, and a young woman trying to lift her family out of financial ruin cross paths. Young Meg feels trapped and Birdy is faced with family issues that run deep. This dual-narrated story is totally engrossing, and readers will be rooting for the characters.

--Donna Ballard, East Meadow Public Library, NJ Ambassador 

NoveList read-alike: The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

Stuart, Douglas    

John of John        

Grove Atlantic    

Aimless art student Cal returns to his isolated Scottish home, forced to navigate his grandmother’s illness and a community that won’t accept his sexuality. The story leans into incredible dialogue and raw, evolving relationships with complicated people readers can't help but care about.

--Magan Szwarek, LibraryReads Ambassador, IL

NoveList read-alike: Family Meal by Bryan Washington

van Veen, Johanna    

Bone of My Bone        

Poisoned Pen Press    

 

Sister Ursula, a nun fleeing brutal soldiers in 1635, meets Elsebeth, a peasant surviving the Thirty Years’ War. They escape into the Bavarian forest, experiencing the horrors of the undead while followed by a necromancer. This atmospheric, haunting folk horror read is told from multiple points of view.

--Kristin Skinner, Flat River Community Library, MI

NoveList read-alike: Angel Down by Daniel Kraus

Board Bonus pick:

Lee, Fonda    

The Last Contract of Isako        

Orbit   

Notable Nonfiction: 

Barnett, Mac    

Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children    

Little, Brown and Company   

See our social media for annotations of the bonus picks

Click here to see the entire Hall of Fame

The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into the Hall of Fame. Click here to see the Hall of Fame authors organized in alpha order. Please note, the current year's Hall of Fame lists are pulled out at the top of the page.

Center, Katherine    

The Shippers        

St. Martin's Press    

Finlay, Alex    

The Anniversary

Minotaur Books    

Fortune, Carley    

Our Perfect Storm       

Berkley    

Gailey, Sarah    

Make Me Better       

Tor Books    

Haig, Matt    

The Midnight Train: A Novel    

Viking    

McFadden, Freida    

The Divorce        

Poisoned Pen Press    

Monaghan, Annabel    

Dolly All the Time        

G.P. Putnam's Sons    

Painter, Lynn    

First and Forever        

Berkley    

Roberts, Nora    

The Final Target        

St. Martin's Press    

Roth, Veronica    

Seek the Traitor's Son        

Tor Books    

Strout, Elizabeth    

The Things We Never Say: A Novel    

Random House    

Wells, Martha    

Platform Decay        

Tor Books